


The Price Of Joy

by PailetteHazel



Series: The Secret of the Waterfalls [1]
Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Both Fae and human remain mostly ambigious, Catholic References, Death (Implied), Depression, Dubious Consent, Fae deal, Fairy, Feelings in a story about seduction, Nostalgia, Other, Suicidal Thoughts, The Fae is nonbinary, fae
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-30
Updated: 2019-08-30
Packaged: 2020-09-30 13:43:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,169
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20448071
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PailetteHazel/pseuds/PailetteHazel
Summary: A young man goes back to the place he once experienced joy, and leaves a gift. When a Fae actually gets summoned, he has to make an important choice.Alternative title: Boi needs a therapist, summons a supernatural being instead. What can go wrong?





	The Price Of Joy

Little branches cracked underneath the feet of a wanderer. But they seemed to know exactly where they were going: swiftly the young man descended the steep mountain on which the forest lay. In the distance, he could already hear the sound of the river, streaming down the hill with a thousand tiny waterfalls and one bigger one.

In their hand they clutched something shiny, that reflected the sunbeams streaming through the trees. "The trees protect us against avalanches.." He hummed softly, an old lullaby mom used to sing. "When, my children, will we thank them?" Their hand gripped the mossy surface of one of those protectors, using it to get down more easily down the rocky path.

Speaking of mom, she would heavily disapprove of the plan he'd made. Plan? It was more of an idea, really. A product from his overbearing curiosity and the possibility of something else. "Don't go to the waterfalls alone." She'd warned. "Most fairytales are made up, but those who aren't are dangerous." He remembered being a little boy, looking at her with big eyes. "Dangerous?" She confirmed. "Those spirits will trick you and take you away, forever." 

He shaked his head at the memory and jumped down another rock. The place was difficult to find for someone that was just passing through the woods, but the boy knew his way because he'd visited this place once before. Before, when he still had someone to explore the woods with. Before, when he still had someone to pretend with, and fantasise if the animals they saw were more than they seemed.

Finally, he saw what he was looking for. A clearing, where the mountain creek widened and its water fell down with a thunderlike noise. Then the water gathered in a pond filled with large, mossy rocks before resuming its journey farther down the mountain. 

One of the rocks on the riverside was different from the others: a bunch of tiny objects were left here by humans. Glass, beads, shells and even some money lay on the primitive altar as either a gift, offering or a distraction. 

"For the Mother." the village people always claimed piously, but the boy knew that it really was for meant for the inhabitants of the forest, that lived here long before humans did. No one knew if they still did. It was a fairytale that the boy hoped still contained a speck of truth. 

With a slightly shaking hand- shaking, why was he shaking- the boy put an offering of his own among the others. A gem, black but still glistening in the sunlight, found in the creek not far from here. It was precious, not just because it was rare but because the memories of laughter and imagination and playing until sunset were tied to it. He thought it seemed appropriate. 

Then, he turned towards the river and slowly walked towards the swirling water, internally questioning if he should get rid of his shoes. Instead, he climbed on one huge rock and hopped towards the next one, and the one behind that, until he stood in the middle of the river. 

A moment passed. The boy felt the water slowly dampen his clothes. Nothing had happened. So he waited. And looked around, between the trees on the other side, to catch a glimpse of something, anything that would prove that this hadn't been for nothing. But the river kept streaming and the leaves kept rustling in the wind like they had done before.

A dreadful feeling started to curl in his stomach. It was useless, a fairytale, he was looking like a fool hoping for a miracle. Shoulders slouched with disappointment, he made his way back to the riverside and looked at the makeshift shrine again. His rock glittering amidst the miscellaneous things: almost as if it was mocking him. Of course nothing happened. Of course the stories had been just stories all along. Hadn't he learned by now to not hope for miracles? He reached out to take the gem again.

"It's rude to take back a gift, you know." 

Startled, the young man turned around to see who had spoken. Nobody was there. His heart was thumping loudly, but he gathered his courage. "Show yourself!" A terrible thought crept in the back of his head: what if someone had seen him and was mocking his attempt? 

A chuckle sounded, this time from another side and the boy shifted, with his back against the rock and his eyes shooting back and forth, trying to spot who was messing with him. 

"'Don't leave yet, I don't get many visitors." The voice came from atop the rock against which he had been leaning. Startled, he turned around swiftly and took a few steps back.

And indeed: there was a strange creature. The boy's eyes grew big: a Fae, or fairy, with light grey skin and darker grey across their torso and arms. They leaned on their elbows and hands with razor sharp long claws. A wide grinning mouth, and pointed ears. Thick, messy hair so light it could be white, and their eyes were seemingly too big, completely black and glistening in the sunbeams like his rock gift.

"Well hello there.." The Fae purred. "What's your name, human visitor?" The boy kept eye contact, but didn't say a word. He wasn't stupid. "Very clever.." The fairy sighed, sliding off the rock slowly until their feet touched the ground. They were wearing a gown made of a strange, see-through fabric that looked extremely soft and moved like it was underwater, trailing behind them. As well as a tail, ensuring the human that this certainly wasn't one of his own kind. The Fairy was longer than he had expected, towering above him. "I guess I will need to call you something else. Let's see.."

Their gaze went over the human. "You're such a brave soul," they hummed,"coming to seek me out all alone." That grin again, too wide and too many sharp teeth. "Like a prince." 

'Prince' was fine. The boy nodded and let out a breath, feeling less startled than before. Still, he had to stay alert. The voice at the back of his head screamed at him that he didn't think this through well enough.

The fairy turned to the altar, attention caught by the black gem. "I assume you didn't come here just to talk." They hummed. "Humans are good enough for that." 

"I want to ask a favour." Prince heard themselves say, even though he was uncertain if he just shouldn't bolt and get away from the waterfalls as quickly as possible. But the Fae turned around and once again, the boy felt like being caught in their gaze like a deer in the light. 

"A favour! What kind of favour, my brave prince?" The Fae came closer, but didn't move their feet: almost like they were floating a tiny bit above the ground. "Riches? Fame? Good looks?" Prince hadn't moved, and the Fae's face came closer and closer. "Although I'd say you already have that last one." Prince held his breath and time seemed to slow down as the two locked eyes.

Then the Fae moved away again, and the spell was broken. Spell.. prince reminded himself. Keep focused. "I.. I want to be happy again." The Fae, stalking around him, widened his big eyes. Prince hadn't thought they could do that. "Happy? What do you mean?" The prince shrugged, words failing him as he looked up at the other.

"For a mortal, you're so young." The Fae berated him. "Still your eyes are filled with sadness." The prince sighed and slid down, sitting on the moss. His clothes were already moist anyway. He pulled his knees up.

"When I and my brother were young, we always played here in the forest. We looked for animals, climbed the fallen trees and pretended branches were swords." 

The Fae floated down in a cross-legged position, listening with attention. Prince continued. "We could run around for hours, until the sun came down and we had to go home. I… I miss that feeling of freedom, of exploring and being anything you want to be. I miss playing, I miss-" 

His voice cracked with emotion. "I wish I could feel that again." The Fae had been listening, but there came a frown on their features. "You want me to turn back your age?" "No no no-" the prince said. "It's just.. my life has become so dull and.. stressful, at the same time. It's not what I thought it would be… It's like I'm trapped."

"Joy can so easily be lost by humans. They say things like 'growing up' are important.." A chuckle from the Fae. "But look at me. I'm as old as the mountains and I've never grown up." 

Prince sniffed, then looked up at the other. "But.. can you give me something? A spell or something I can eat, so I can have that experience?" The Fae tutted at him. "It's much easier, my adventurous prince. Everything you need is inside of you already." They leaned forward with a smile, and their hand touched the humans' chest. 

The prince let them, tears rolling down both his cheeks. "But it won't be the same.. never again. Not without a.. companion." 

A moment of silence, only the waterfall, the leaves and the soft wooshing of the Fae's garment. The prince looked up, and the creature seemed in thought.

"I can't bring back your brother.. not unless he wants to. But I can do something else, with the magic I have." The Fae said thoughtfully. Prince rubbed his face with his sleeve. "Please." He whispered. 

"Magic isn't something to play with, human." They hummed. "Do you really want to do this?" 

Prince looked the other way, back to the river now filled with dreams and wishes. If he refused now, he'd probably never get another chance.. "What will you do?" 

Another sigh from the Fae, sounding slightly irritated. A moment of silence, then Prince felt the sharp nails underneath his chin, forcing him to look back at them. "You're beautiful." The Fae mused. "And desperate for joy and companionship. I could take you with me, and you'll be happy forever."

"Take.. me with you?" Prince stammered, slightly overwhelmed by how upfront the creature was. They nodded. "Make your choice, Princey."

"What about.. the people that know me? They'll come and look for me." The Fae stared into his eyes. "When I take you with me they'll forget you. Your name, your existence- nobody will miss you." 

Prince took a deep breath. That was a lot to take in. But.. to be happy again? To be together with someone who.. seemed so eager to be with him? It wasn't like he had much to lose. Nothing but a dull, difficult life and people who probably wouldn't even notice him being gone, even without a fairy spell.

"I'll do it." It was barely more than a whisper, but the Fae jumped up and clapped his hands. "Wonderful!" They exclaimed. "My beautiful husband to be, take my hand!" 

Prince had to chuckle at that, feeling his cheeks warm at the affectionate display. He extended his hand and got pulled on his feet by the fairy, who was stronger than they looked. Immediately, he was held tightly by the creature's arms as they twirled around across the river end.

And for the first time in what seemed like ages, Prince felt laughter bubbling in his chest, and he laughed. Laughed at the wild dance and the Fae that was holding him securely dispite their movements. Laughed genuinely at how safe he felt, warnings long forgotten as he gazed into the fairy's black eyes that were sparkling with affection.

The pair came to a standstill, catching their breath and looking in each others' eyes. The Fae had a playful grin on their face, and their hand came up to stroke the humans' face. "Could you imagine dancing like that every night, my love?" Prince chuckled and nodded, completely lost in the bliss he felt.

"One final, tiny thing my valorous prince." The Fae gigged, a high-pitched sound between the trees that sounded like a bird. "To take you back to my realm, I will need your name~ your real one." 

The human whined softly, something soft in the back of his mind telling him this wasn't a good idea. But he had forgotten why, and the desire to get back to the high of dancing became too strong.. 

"R-roman." He stammered. "My name is Roman." The face of the Fae light up, and he cupped the humans' face. "That's all I need, my dear prince Roman."

And the two kissed, passionately, still surrounded by the sound of the waterfalls and its damp mist. Roman couldn't care less. 

And just a heartbeat later, the clearing was empty. A black gem was glittering on the altar, a silent witness reflecting the sunbeams falling through the trees.

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: If you ever feel like Roman does in this story, don’t go into the woods hoping for a Fae to abduct you. Seek help, like a therapist or depression/suicidal hotline you can call. You are not alone, and you will feel that Joy again. Stay strong xx Hazel


End file.
